Please read thoroughly before beginning your electronic submission at the bottom of the page.
Preparing Your Document
The main document you submit must consist of a PDF file (for the thesis) with all of its fonts embedded. See our how-to document regarding embedding fonts. None of Acrobat’s PDF security features should be activated. (Note: All public computers in the O’Neill Library are equipped with both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro.)
How to check your PDF properties:
In Adobe Reader DC, under File, select Properties. Check that the document includes the following properties
- Under Security: Security Method: No Security; Document Restrictions Summary: Everything allowed
- Under Fonts: All fonts should be listed either as embedded or as embedded subset.
Image files should be included in the main PDF, by inserting JPEG files in the document. If you would like to provide additional supplementary materials, please email Lopa Williams with information about the files.
Please review your document for the inclusion of any third-party copyrighted materials. Certain copyrighted works may be included under the fair use exception to the exclusive rights of copyright holders. If fair use does not apply, you may need to ask for permission from the copyright holder. For more information, consult the Copyright and Scholarship guide. If you need more help, please contact your subject librarian or the copyright group.
Author Submission Agreement
Before beginning the submission process, it is recommended that you check with your thesis advisor about submitting your thesis for inclusion in eScholarship@BC. Although rare, there may be reasons why you might not want to post your thesis at this time. For example, you and/or your faculty adviser may be actively seeking to use the material in a journal article, the material may include information that was obtained under a promise of confidentiality, or the thesis or research is part of an externally sponsored/funded research project with restrictions regarding publication of the research findings.
You will be asked to agree to the Undergraduate Thesis Submission Agreement as a condition of submission to eScholarship.
Access Options
You have the option to make your honors thesis available via:
- Open Access: openly available via the Internet to global readers free of charge. The advantages of providing open access to your thesis include the wider dissemination of your work and increased visibility of your scholarship beyond Boston College.
- Temporary Embargo: A record of the thesis' existence will be made available immediately, but the content will be restricted from being access for a limited time. We recommend choosing either 6 months, 1 year, or 2 years if choosing this option. After the embargo time limit is reached, the content of the thesis will automatically be made available to global readers free of charge. We recommend discussing this option with your advisor if you think they will want to use your thesis as part of their ongoing research.
- Campus-only Access: Immediately available only to those connected to the Boston College network. This means that a person must either be physically on Boston College's campus or connected to the Boston College network via VPN in order to read your thesis. This functionally limits access only to individuals that are currently affiliated with Boston College (i.e. not alums or former employees), or people that are doing research in-person on campus.
During the submission process, you will be asked to select one of these three options. In all cases, you allow Boston College the non-exclusive right to post your thesis and verify that you are not violating anyone else’s rights to materials you have included. None of these options limit your right to share your thesis elsewhere as you see fit.
Submission Information
You will need to provide the following information about your thesis:
- Title of thesis:
- Faculty Advisor(s):
- Year degree awarded:
- Language:
- Abstract (~100–150 words):
- Keywords (at least one and up to six words or phrases):
- Type of degree (B.A. or B.S.):
- School affiliation:
- Academic department:
- Type of thesis (Departmental Honors, Arts and Sciences Honors Program, Scholar of the College):
- Access Option (Open Access, Temporary Embargo, or Campus-Only Access):
Ready to submit your thesis?
Email the submission information above to Lopa Williams, undergraduate thesis administrator, with your thesis attached. After providing this information, you will be asked to accept the license agreement described above. Once your submission is complete, the library will seek the approval of your thesis advisor before your work is made available in the repository. We will email you with a link when the thesis upload is complete.